Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, by Christopher Moore

by Derwood Hunsdale-Talbot on July 24, 2008

Lamb, Christopher Moore’s National Bestseller, is a best seller for a very good reason. It finally explains what on Earth Jesus Christ was doing from after the manger scene and burst onto the scene at the age of 30. (Pun intended.)

It does make you wonder though, doesn’t it? Where was he and what was he doing in the meantime? If he was so wise and learned, where did all that come from and why is that part of the story missing? Well, fear not, for here comes Biff (ok, not his birth name- Levi is) to fill in the gaps. Resurrected in modern times, Biff is locked into a hotel room by an angel to give the full account of what he and the Son of God (Joshua) were doing for all those years. What Biff recounts is a hilarious and very varied journey. Biff and Josh set out across the known world (since it was flat then) to seek the Three Wise Men that sought Joshua at his birth. Trying not to spoil it too much, their travels in the Middle East take them even further East where they study the religious and cultural teachings such as Confucius, Buddhism, yoga and the Kama Sutra. Well, the Son of God couldn’t really test drive the Kama Sutra. Good thing his best pal was there to try that out and tell him about it later.

The novel spans the life of Joshua from his time at Nazareth before he was 10 years old to his return at the age of 30, all from the perspective of Biff, a sometimes hot headed, lustfull, smart ass man. Basically the polar opposite of Joshua and also the main source for the comedy, with one liners and pranks, but is never jealous of his best friend. Well, Ok, there’s this one thing he’s supremely jealous over, but it’s not what you think. Trying not to spoil it here.

The story is very creative, as are the characters, their personalities and the explanations for basically, why things are the way they are, even today. It’s not a fast paced read but the scenery and character changes are fast and often enough that even an attention deficit disorder reader would enjoy it. And I really do think there is such a thing.

Bottom line, it was a really fun read, very clever and very imaginative.

On the Bookalicious Scale– 4: Satiated- A most tasty read, yet not overfilling!